X-ray art on a travel theme

By Jack Barker
2 Sep, 2015, 14:10

The x-ray scanner that screens hand luggage at airports has become an essential, unavoidable part of air travel in the 21st century. But not until now has it come into its own as an integral tool of the visual arts.

Art Director Max Oxborrow has brought together a range of holiday essentials and run them through an x-ray scanner, creating a vivid drama that captures the essentials of a family holiday and presents it through the contemporary medium of youtube.

The stars are flip-flops, Mr and Mrs flat-shoe that wobble their way through a shaky series of adventures that will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever taken a family holiday. Props bring the dramas to life, with some unexpected turns by the sort of items found in countless handbags. A bottle of Head and Shoulders shampoo, that would surely have been confiscated in its usual role, is transformed into a speedboat which might be allowable under today’s security rules. A hairbrush becomes a pair of water skis and ever-flexible chewing gum acts as eyebrows, arching expressively in joy and dismay.

Art sponsors are hard to find, and in this case the credit goes to Club Med for an innovative, involving piece of video art.